Managing Stress and Anxiety During a Time of Crisis

Managing Stress and Anxiety During a Time of Crisis

Published March 2020

During times of crisis, it’s easy to get caught up in the chaos spreading through the news and media outlets informing us hourly of the many updates happening in the world. As a result, it’s common to feel increased stress and anxiety during times of uncertainty.

In many cases, people want to fast forward through the chaos and get to peace again. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works, but that’s also perfectly fine because it allows us to look at why we are feeling the way we are feeling regarding a particular scenario. Sometimes our fear brings us to realize what is most important in our lives. Knowing how to use your stress and anxiety to your advantage is the trick. How to do this is simple. When you feel scared or worried about something, ask yourself why you have that particular fear.

Digging deeper within yourself to find the source of your stress and anxiety can help bring buried thoughts and feelings to the light. Acknowledging these emotions and looking closer at where they stem from and why will give you the power you need to release that stress and anxiety, leaving you feeling lighter and more clear-minded.

Amid stress, fear, anxiety, and panic, many people experience knots of nerves racing around their stomachs, the inability to sit still, difficulty catching their breath, and have racing thoughts which cause them to skip meals, abuse substances, and lose sleep.

At Passages Addiction Treatment Centers, we understand how uncomfortable stress and anxiety can be and how deeply they affect your nervous system and everyday life. Therefore, we want to offer you these seven helpful tips for relieving symptoms of stress and anxiety so that you can feel your best and be at peace within your mind, body, and spirit.

1. Get up and exercise. Moving your body and breaking a sweat will help your body release endorphins in your brain that will help improve your mood and lower symptoms of anxiety and depression.
2. Journal your thoughts on paper. Allowing yourself to express your emotions privately in a notebook can help you gain a better understanding of the source of your frustrations as well as giving you an opportunity to open your mind to new ideas and potential strategies in solving your current problem.
3. Cut out caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco. Every time you have a craving for coffee, alcohol, or a cigarette, grab something healthy to eat or drink to train your brain to replace unhealthy habits with healthy ones. Maintaining a healthy diet is a great way to promote long term improvement in feelings of stress and anxiety.
4. Dab lavender essential oil on your temples and wrist. Then, take three slow and deep inhales through your nose and exhale through your mouth.
5. Practice yoga and meditation before you go to sleep at night. Block out at least one hour every night to dim the lights, put on relaxing music and stretch. Yoga is a great way to decrease stress, reduce anxiety, fight depression, and promote the quality of sleep in a person.
6. Watch or listen to something funny. Haven’t you heard the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine”? Lighten the mood and vibration you’re currently feeling by turning to a comedy. This could be a movie, a podcast, or silly cat videos on YouTube. Anything to make you laugh should help you feel better.
7. Eliminate things that cause you stress. If it is a toxic friend, a critical co-worker, a repetitive thought of regret or self-depravation, it’s time to put some distance between you and this thing or person. If you do something and then feel bad about it later, it’s time to find a way to kick that habit. If there is someone in your life that is putting pressure or stress on you, talk to that person about the problem calmly and try to work together in resolving the issue.